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Obviously, I think about my blog much more often than I actually POST on my blog. Hopefully, that is about to change. Every year on my birthday I make resolutions (instead of New Years Day). I’m already depressed on my birthday, so why not create goals for myself that I know I will never reach, right??

Well, since my LAST post two years ago, lots has happened in my life. My darling daughter graduated high school, got married, and I moved out on MY OWN for the first time in my entire life!! Daughter and her husband stayed in the home she and I lived in, and I moved back into my grandparents’ home. This was the house we first lived in when we moved back to Gadsden in 2006, so I guess it is appropriate that 10 years later, I move back in. There are still tons of memories here along with TONS of STUFF!!! Stuff from my grandparents, my parents, me and my daughter.

Actually, I moved in August 2016, so I’ve been here about 18 months now and am beginning to settle in somewhat. At first I had my sewing center set up in the living room (I know, crazy, but it was the largest room in the house!). Then I found this amazing wall unit/bookcase at an estate sale that just had to occupy the long wall in the living room, so I was back to moving the sewing center into a spare bedroom. It was set up pretty well for a little while, but since the holidays, it has become quite over-run with stuff I don’t have anywhere else to put.

Starting this month, I am going to reorganize (the story of my life) and move all my papercrafting and miscellaneous crafts to the basement and strive to keep the sewing room exclusively for sewing, quilting and yarn storage.

I did participate in Jennifer Maker’s 30 Day Craft Room Organization Challenge. Okay, I have all the emails saved into one file so I can get started working on it. See a pattern here, I have great intentions…… Here’s the link to Jennifer’s site: https://jennifermaker.com. She has lots of great ideas and tutorials and really motivated me to get started…….

Just writing this post has been a step in the right direction. Now, to get all that fabric folded and put away. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll be brave enough to snap a picture tonight of the before chaos that is my sewing room. We shall see……….

Today is November 30, 2015. I’ve been off work a few days for the Thanksgiving holiday, and I guess I just haven’t paid much attention to the calendar. Seems like it was just Halloween…..now tomorrow is December 1st!! How will I ever get ready for Christmas ???

Oh well, I have more exciting news to share than worrying about Christmas right now. Actually, I bought my own Christmas gift last week (or was it the week before?) It was within the past two weeks! I was scrolling through Facebook and saw a posting from a friend of mine and Hannah’s where she was selling two Brother embroidery machines. Now, you remember from my last post that I told you about the Martha Pullen Sewing Licensing class I am taking. One of the required projects is a placement or table runner which requires either a machine embroidery or special stitches. I was wishing I had an embroidery machine, but realized that I just couldn’t afford it right now. When I saw the Facebook post, I messaged the girl and we made a deal. Within about two hours, I was the proud owner of a new-t0-me Brother PE770 embroidery machine.

I definitely did NOT need to spend any money this close to Christmas, but deals like this don’t come around very often. A dealer here in town (where I went to buy bobbins) told me I got a good deal. He had the same model machine he had taken in on a trade and was asking twice what I paid for mine! Oh yes, that made me feel good! Nevermind that I had to buy bobbins and an embroidery hoop. Fortunately, I had a stash of embroidery thread and stabilizers from back years ago when I owned a POEM embroidery machine.

Have any clue what a POEM embroidery machine is? It was also sold as a Huskygram or a Singer EU embroidery unit. Basically, it was a printer which embroidered on fabric with thread. It was very persnickety, however, and if you didn’t use the files from the manufacturer, you had to upload a pdf file and basically start from scratch digitizing the design. Yeah, I had to have some help learning that, and after awhile, I just gave up on it. I still have the machine (yeah, you know I’m a packrat!), but now that I have added the PE770, I would like to sell the old POEM. Unfortunately, I’m afraid no one has any interest in that type machine any more. I’ve done some initial searches online, but so far turned up no positive leads.

The other POSITIVE is that my Sweetie and my Dad helped move my sewing cabinets and desks into my living room last Friday. I was very little help because my back is still out of sorts, but I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for 12 people in our family, so I think it was kinda payback from them. Plus, I think they sorta like me a little bit and wanted me to be happy. I had a plan in mind of how I wanted things to end up, and with a slight change, it worked perfectly!!

I’ve attached a picture of the cabinet layout — the center cabinet will hold my fabrics (at least the ones I will be using in the near future). I also have two desks to the left of the picture that hold my sewing machine, serger and new embroidery machine. I’ll update pictures later when I’m finished moving everything in. I didn’t realize I had so much sewing stuff NOR craft stuff. Now, I have to get the back bedroom back together, but I have a plan….. Right now, I’m sorting and folding all the fabric to put in the cabinet, but I’ve got to get busy for my class AND Christmas gifts. If any of my family is reading this, here’s a heads-up — You will probably get homemade gifts this Christmas. I spent my Christmas money on the embroidery machine. Sorry, but for once in my life I did something for ME!!!

Howdy, Friends!! Lots has been going on in my life lately and most of it has been good and positive!!

Back almost a year ago, I graduated from the University of Alabama School of Library and Information Services with my Master’s in Library Science. No change in job location or position because I already have a wonderful job with the Gadsden Public Library as Head of Technical Services (which means I am the cataloging librarian and I get to see all the new stuff!!!) That only increases my to-read list almost daily, but oh well, someday I’ll get time to read them all.

On my fun side (hobby-related), I added a Cricut Explore Air to my collection of sewing and crafting tools. I already had a Cricut Expression 2, but I never really used it fully. I LOVE the Explore Air, and am beginning to really make some cool things. I made baseball shirts for my daughter and her co-employees to wear on Halloween. They are bank tellers and they wanted their teller numbers on their shirts. Hopefully, the pictures will show up here……

A good friend of mine in Birmingham has convinced me to sign up for the Martha Pullen Beginning Sewing II Teacher Certification. (Wow, what a mouthful!) I have sewn for years, but have never felt confident enough to teach anyone else. This is a step in that direction, however! The class fee is a Christmas gift from my Sweetie, and it includes lots of technique sheets and 30 projects!! Hopefully, in a few months, I’ll be planning to try out my teaching skills……

At home, my house is still a mess! I’ve been told I just move my stuff from one room to another (I’m afraid that may be true!) However, I have decided to move my sewing room into the Living Room. It’s just the two of us at home and no one EVER goes in the Living Room, so I’m treating myself and allowing myself to make me a big playroom! Yes, I will have to make it look presentable and neat and my piano will still be there as well as my bookshelves my Sweetie built for me. I hope it will truly be my escape and quiet place!

Okay, now I’ve made it official, I’m headed home to work some more on clearing out that Living Room so I can move in. Thanksgiving Day is next week, and I’m sorta setting the weekend after as my drop-dead date to have most of the sewing stuff in place. Fingers are crossed!!

Yep, I’m old and will probably call things all sorts of odd names, but just hang on, I think this will be a fun adventure.

I have had trouble decided what to make my first post about, but then I got tagged in Facebook by the 10 books that have affected your life. After thinking on that and adding commentary to each book I listed, I decided that might make a good post for here. Hopefully, it will jumpstart my brain into other topics. There’s just so much I want to write about, I have trouble typing the first word.

Here’s the post I made today on Facebook…….Feel free to share on your Facebook or reply on here.

Okay, you all know how much I love to read, so this was hard to choose just a few of favorites because I think every book I read has become a part of me. I may not remember the entire plot or storyline, but there was something that stayed with me from the story and has formed the person I am now.

Here’s my list of 10 (approximately)…Oh, and I added commentary to each (no extra charge!)

The Bible – it has been my strength in sad times and my joy in happy times. If I had to only choose one book, the Bible would have to be the one. Although I don’t memorize scripture like I did in my younger years, the ones I have memorized will come to mind at the moment I least expect it.

The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren gave me strength during a very difficult time in my life. It also taught me that I may never know what God’s will is for me, but my job is be available to what He needs me to do and be.

I had very few books growing up (maybe that’s my reason for collecting so many now), but the three I remember reading over and over again were: Moon Mouse by Adelaide Holl, Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion, and Mike Mullican and His Steamshovel by Virginia Lee Burton. Don’t judge me for the titles – I know they sound like boy’s books, but they were the ones I had and loved. Yes, I still have them with me today.

The Borrowers by Mary Norton. In fourth grade at Episcopal Day School, Mrs. Barbara Foster read the Borrowers to us after lunch each day. I was mesmerized! I fell in love with Pod, Homily and Arrietie and have read it many times since.

Rather than read Little House on the Praire books, I read Janette Oke’s Love Comes Softly

In elementary and middle school, I read every biography the East Gadsden Public Library had on its shelves. Most of them were bound in that orange hardback binding. I call them the orange back biographies. I collect them today for memories sake.

In His Steps by Charles Sheldon. A religious fiction story based on an entire town deciding to live their lives by first asking themselves, “what would Jesus do.” (long before the WWJD revival).

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh convinced me I was a writer and began my collection of notebooks and pens and the desire to write

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee was one of the first books I realized were made into movies. It was sort of a shock then and even today that someone would want to make a movie out of a book.

I Love You Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt was one of the books I read over and over again to Hannah Grace when she was little. We both loved that book among others!!

Alabama Moon by Watt Key was one of the first young adult novels I read as an adult and truly enjoyed. Nevermind it was a “guy book” too, I realized YA fiction was pretty cool.

The Same Sweet Girls by Cassandra King made me long for friendships like the girls in the story. It also was the start of my love of Cassandra King’s writing which lead to other Southern female authors.

The list could be never-ending, but I’ll just list a few more……

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough was the book I read even though I knew my parents would definitely not approve of my reading…. NOT that that has ever stopped me since…..

Any poetry by Emily Dickinson, any inspirational book by Charles Swindoll, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (one of my all-time favorite authors),